Virginia flexed its muscles at the ACC Tournament, beating Louisville and Clemson before handling North Carolina in the championship game to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
We’re not sure there was much reward in that, given the bracket the Cavaliers face. Either Kentucky or Arizona could block their path to the Final Four and both of those teams have title-caliber talent.
So it’s not stunning that Villanova, not Virginia, has emerged as favorites to win this tournament.
“We want to be as good as we can, but we know, like every coach said, there’s so much parity in this tournament, you get as healthy as you can, as ready as you can,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “And don’t over complicate it. Improve, prepare well, play to win.”
Other college hoops heavyweights flourished in their league tourneys, too, including Villanova while winning the Big East event and Kansas while gaining another Big 12 title.
So there were no surprises on the top line of the NCAA Tournament bracket: Villanova, Kansas and Xavier joined Virginia as the No. 1 seeds.
North Carolina settled for a No. 2 seed after falling to the Cavaliers. But Tar Heels coach Roy Williams doesn’t expect that ACC tourney loss to hurt his team in the Big Dance.
“Nine Final Fours, and we’ve only been sitting up here happy faced twice,” Williams told reporters after the league title game. “Last year we got our tails beat, and then we were OK after that. We played pretty well. But this has been a heck of a league. It’s been a heck of a journey, heck of a challenge, and we wanted to play this game, but we wanted to be the last ones standing, too.”
Elsewhere on the brand-name front, Arizona overcame considerable adversity while winning the Pac-12 tourney. In the deep SEC, Kentucky finally looked like Kentucky again while dispatching regular season co-champion Tennessee in the title game.
But there were ample surprises, too, both in the major conferences and some of the mid-majors. Providence upset Xavier to reach the Big East title game. Davidson won the Atlantic 10 Tournament, upsetting Rhode Island at the end.
Alabama made a deep run in the SEC tourney to earn a NCAA berth. Marshall unexpectedly won the Conference USA tourney and San Diego State swiped the Mountain West title after finishing fourth in the regular season.
These bracket-busting results led to the exclusion of some name-brand schools from the field of 68, including Louisville, Notre Dame, USC, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Marquette.
What will it take to win the whole thing? Teams would be advised to emulate Virginia’s style: Tenacious defense and deliberate, precise offense.
“You’ve got to take care of the ball,” Bennett said. “You’ve got to rebound well, and I think to advance in the tournament, and of course you’ve got to not allow people to score, and then guys have to make plays and play with the intangibles, and this team is all about the intangibles.”
Roy Williams is just one of the many coaches in the NCAA that prefers an up-tempo game, but he sees real value in how Virginia plays.
“I’ve always said I don’t think Tony holds the ball,” Williams said. “I think they wait until they get exactly the shot they want, and that’s the way they play. If it makes you play defense a little longer to play defense, then he’s getting double benefits from it because he’s still getting the shot he wants and he’s wearing you down a little bit more.”
NIT-PICKING
As noted, some surprising developments in league tournaments relegated some traditionally strong programs to the National Invitational Tournament. That enhances its fan appeal.
Also, look for mid-major powers Middle Tennessee and Saint Mary’s to play with some attitude after their NCAA tourney rejections. That should be fun too.
And what about the Big Ten schools? They should also be feisty after getting little respect. Nebraska coach Tim Miles was insulted by his team’s No. 5 seed in the NIT.
“I really do feel like we got slapped in the face. It is what it is,” Miles said told reporters. “We can still do something about it. I think that’s the good news. I hope we rally and respond and the guys feel the same way I do.”
COACHING CAROUSEL
To nobody’s surprise, Georgia fired coach Mark Fox after he failed to win the SEC Tournament and steal a NCAA berth. But it WAS surprising to seeing Rick Pitino’s name thrown into the coaching search.
Yes, the ousted Louisville coach wants back in the game and some Georgia fans are intrigued.
“I’ve never offered any player $5,” Pitino told ESPN. “I’ve been assassinated by the Southern District of N.Y. without any wiretap or shred of evidence, and the University of Louisville. That being said, I love teaching basketball and am more passionate than ever.”
With Pitino’s actions at Louisville still under FBI scrutiny, his return to the college game seems unlikely. Georgia should make a solid hire like Tom Crean or Thad Matta instead and keep the NCAA off its front door.
